I was browsing in Powell's City of Books, when Helen Ellis' short story collection, American Housewife, leaped off of the shelf, demanding to be read. Just take a minute to admire the awesome cover. It looks just like a photograph of my mom from the 50's. if my mom had cotton candy hair. Those glasses, that tangerine sweater-set, the enormous curlers = if a book can be judged by its cover ( and I like to judge), I know that Ellis' stories are going to take me on a fun ride.

PLOT - American Housewife is Helen Ellis' collection of short stories, all involving the title subject. What defines an American housewife? Ellis' housewives are smart, snarky, and occasionally highly disturbed. 

LIKE- Ellis is a fabulous writer with a gift for crafting unique sentences. For example, here is a sentence regarding the discovery of a new independent bookstore, that absolutely delighted me: from How to Be a Patron of the Arts =

It's like you've found a unicorn grazing next to the dry cleaner that a friend told you could get cat barf out of cashmere.

It made me laugh-out-loud- 

For five minutes-

In an airport. 

Ellis fills all of her stories with this type of humor. There wasn't a single clunker in the collection, but there were standouts. Here are the ones that I thought were stellar.

What I Do All Day - A less than three page laundry list of the activities that the narrator does in her typical day as a housewife. It's hilarious, but what I admired most is Ellis' pacing, and the way her story builds to the climax of forced dinner party conversation. As an American housewife myself, I found the idea of justifying my day to be extremely relatable.

Dumpster Diving with the Stars - The narrator, a not-quite-famous writer, goes on a reality show that involves dumpster diving and challenges akin to Antiques Roadshow. I loved all of the pop-culture references, including John Lithgow as a contestant. The title rocks, and makes me wonder if a show like this has ever been pitched. Yes, is the likely answer.

The Fitter - The narrator's husband is a famous bra fitter, with women angling to make him their next husband, while his wife is near death, after first having a mastectomy. Although there is humor in this story, it was very dark, and the emotional pain of the narrator was palpable. The ending was very much a surprise.

My Novel is Brought to you by the Good People at Tampax - A cautionary tale of an author who signs a contract with Tampax to endorse their products in her novel, and then faces a combination of writer's block and procrastination. She learns that Tampax will not accept excuses, and that not just her writing, but basically her life, is theirs, until she fulfills her contractural obligation. This made me feel paranoid about my own writing schedule. Miley Cyrus and Paula Deen make appearances as poster-children for reinvention.

DISLIKE- Nothing. American Housewife is a highly-entertaining collection by a gifted writer.

RECOMMEND- YES!!! Helen Ellis is a treasure, and I will be on alert for more of her stories. I can't recommend this author or American Housewife, enough. A fabulous story collection!